Out of all the VIPs in the world,
from heads of state to Hollywood celebrities, Chef Ricky Parlanti said the
person he would most like to cook for is his family. Awwww…isn’t his answer
endearing?
Freshly minted as the Italian Chef de
Cuisine of Prego, the Tuscan native is no stranger to the Malaysia culinary
scene. When you’re half a decade old like moi, you’re unlikely to forget a
veteran chef like Ricky Parlanti who has been in the biz for over 35
years.
Besides his own multi-award winning The Mangotree Restaurant, Parlanti’s
past stints include Carcosa Seri Negara, The Peninsula Beijing in China and Hyatt
Regency Delhi in India. His inimitable touch also extended to standalone
restaurants: Dining in the Dark KL, The Steakhouse KL and The Whiskey Bar.
As the ninth generation of chefs in
the Parlanti family and a qualified Master Chef by ALMA La Scoula Internazionale di Cucina Italiana, the most
prestigious culinary institute in Parma, Italy, his mettle was reinforced by a slew of accolades: Hospitality
Asia Platinum Award 2005/2006 for Excellence
in Hospitality Personality Chef of the Year and The Best Chef in Malaysia (Expatriate) Award in the Millennium Gold
Awards 2001/2002.
The
best proof is the dishes we savoured at Prego.
Right from the get-go, effusive praises were heard as we dug into the Burrata with
Grilled Spring Vegetable, Basil and Pine Nut Emulsion with gusto.
We relished
the well-balanced, delicate flavours and beguilingly soft texture of eggplant,
peppers, onion, asparagus, leek and zucchini – a testament to the chef’s
judicious use of the freshest quality ingredients with
the contadino in mind.
Although presentation is important, Parlanti reckons taste and flavour can be rooted in Italian cuisine with minor adaptations
to the Asian palette. He believes “food should speak for itself as nothing compares to the quality of a
well-prepared dish”.
I found the truffle-scented Cream of Wild Mushroom too
salty for my liking but it’s a minor matter which can be easily corrected. Otherwise,
the thick, musky broth of porcini mushroom proved to be a nice tummy warmer.
For the media preview, Parlanti was
pitted against Executive Chef Rudy Junaidie in a tongue-in-cheek pasta
throwdown. Putting his own spin on Prego’s signature speciality of Special
Carbonara in Castelmagno Cheese Wheel made it a crowd-pleaser. Big, lush flavours hugged the al dente pasta thanks to the hearty creamy sauce whipped up using beef bacon, egg yolk,
cream and parmesan finished with in a huge Castelmagno cheese wheel.
Chef Rudy Junaidie’s contender of Asian
pasta with prawns, fresh coriander, garlic and herb crumbs was delicious too (this was more to my preference)
but the man of the hour was undoubtedly Parlanti.
Fennel, thyme, garlic and sea salt
were the aromatics used for the Wood Oven Baked Salt-crusted Seabass. Wrapped
in greaseproof paper, the fleshy fish was delightfully on point – lightly flaky
and sweet, coyly touched with dill sauce.
Diminutive bursts of sweet raisins
bestowed an unexpected yet welcomed surprise in the beef jus complementing the Grilled
Grain-fed Angus Steak. Served medium rare, this Prego’s house special was a
winsome shoo-in with the lunch party.
Next time you visit Prego, let Chef
Ricky Parlanti customise dishes according to your desired preferences.
Otherwise, he can also design a Menu Sorpresa
(Surprise Menu) for your culinary experience, creating flavors that
sometimes would bring you down memory lane.
To finish, the chef readily vouched
for Tiramisu, the timeless mascarpone espresso trifle of Italy. Prego serves an
alcoholic and booze-free version so remember to state your preference when you’re
ordering it.
1 comment:
Wow, that Carbonara, so rich and creamy!
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